No doubt it is a sad state of affairs that our politics have stooped to such lows, dragged here by the dogmatic extremist conservatives and enabled by the spineless opposition party that is too scared to call out lies and distortions in fear of being seen as bold or partisan when they are attacked by the everything is legitimate, false-equivalency espousing fact-checkers who are further enabled by a huge chunk of the electorate that sees no problems with these changes.

If anybody asked me several years ago if we'd be here, I would have said no easily. It's been a surreal experience that has only gotten crazier since 2009 hasn't it? If you take out the obvious human suffering and opportunity cost of wasting our time on this petty garbage, it'd be funnier. I'm waiting with baited breath for the coming implosion.

PHOENIX -- Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed into law a bill to cut off Planned Parenthood's access to taxpayer money funneled through the state for non-abortion services.

Arizona already bars use of public money for abortions except to save the life of the mother. But anti-abortion legislators and other supporters of the bill say the broader prohibition is needed to ensure no public money indirectly supports abortion services.

Planned Parenthood Arizona claims a funding ban would interrupt its preventive health care and family planning services for nearly 20,000 women served by the organization's clinics. The organization says it will consider a legal challenge.

The measure targeting funding for Planned Parenthood for non-abortion services was one of several approved by Arizona's Republican-led Legislature related to contentious reproductive health care issues this session.

WASHINGTON -- The House Republican version of the new Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) would dramatically roll back confidentiality protections for abused immigrant women, make it more difficult for undocumented witnesses to work with law enforcement officials, and eliminate a pathway to citizenship for witnesses who cooperate with police on criminal cases.

[...]

In 1994, VAWA addressed a problem faced by abused immigrant women who are married to citizens or legal residents. In some cases, husbands would use their control over their victims' immigration status as a tool of abuse, refusing to sign the proper paperwork or threatening to revoke it. The act created a "self-petitioning" process that allows such women to confidentially apply for protected immigration status on their own. Protections for immigrant women have been strengthened in subsequent reauthorizations of the bill.

That process is managed by a specific branch of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services based in Vermont, where officials are highly trained in secrecy and in dealing with domestic violence situations. Extreme precautions are taken to assure that the victim's identity or action is not revealed to the abuser, for obvious reasons.

The Republican bill would eliminate that confidentiality and require women to go to the closest immigration office. It would allow the officer, not specifically trained in domestic violence response, to reach out to and inform the abusive partner that the alleged victim is applying for immigration status.

House Republicans say that some women have taken advantage of the confidentiality by fraudulently claiming abuse to acquire residency status. Victims who are not committing fraud, however, will now be exposed to retaliatory violence. What's more, most undocumented immigrants prefer to operate under the government's radar, and prefer as little contact with federal immigration authorities as possible. It's not obvious that embarking on an elaborate fraud that involves these authorities is the most attractive option for undocumented immigrants already in the country.

A massive, 60-page omnibus bill that drastically limits abortion access and could shut down all abortion clinics in the state is being rushed through the Michigan State House of Representatives on Thursday.

Quote

Specifically, the omnibus bill would criminalize all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, without exceptions for rape victims, the health of the woman or in cases where there is a severe fetal anomaly. It would require health centers that provide abortions to have surgery rooms, even when they don't provide surgical abortions. It would require doctors to be present for medication abortions and to screen women for "coercion" before providing an abortion, and it would create new regulations for the disposal of fetal remains.

The bill would also ban "telemedicine" abortions, or the use of technology to prescribe medication for abortion services and the morning-after pill.

"It could shut down most reproductive health centers in the state of Michigan," said Groen. "It's the most extreme legislation we're seeing anywhere in the country."

State Rep. Mike Shirkey (R-Clark Lake) told a local television station on Wednesday that he supports the bill and hopes it will end abortion in Michigan. "This [abortion] is nothing short of infanticide. Until we completely eliminate abortions in Michigan and completely defund Planned Parenthood, we have work to do," he said.

This is what makes me mad about the Republicans nowadays. They want to take abortion rights back to the 1970's. You know that time is over and done with. I vote Republican mostly yeah but this stuff makes me mad. Thats why I am not registered as a republican. To bad the libertarian party wasn't a big party I would join them instead. I am voting for Gary Johnson instead of Obama or Romney though. At least with the libertarian party they want economic freedom and believe in in freedom on social issues although I am moderate on gay marriage(I favor civil unions) and immigration.

A massive, 60-page omnibus bill that drastically limits abortion access and could shut down all abortion clinics in the state is being rushed through the Michigan State House of Representatives on Thursday.

Quote

Specifically, the omnibus bill would criminalize all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, without exceptions for rape victims, the health of the woman or in cases where there is a severe fetal anomaly. It would require health centers that provide abortions to have surgery rooms, even when they don't provide surgical abortions. It would require doctors to be present for medication abortions and to screen women for "coercion" before providing an abortion, and it would create new regulations for the disposal of fetal remains.

The bill would also ban "telemedicine" abortions, or the use of technology to prescribe medication for abortion services and the morning-after pill.

"It could shut down most reproductive health centers in the state of Michigan," said Groen. "It's the most extreme legislation we're seeing anywhere in the country."

State Rep. Mike Shirkey (R-Clark Lake) told a local television station on Wednesday that he supports the bill and hopes it will end abortion in Michigan. "This [abortion] is nothing short of infanticide. Until we completely eliminate abortions in Michigan and completely defund Planned Parenthood, we have work to do," he said.

So abortion is infanticide? Therefore, according to them, anyone who has an abortion or uses the morning-after poll should get Life in prison or the death penalty, right?

Logged

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.- Jack Layton (1950-2011)

A male Republican House leader in Michigan silenced two female Democratic state legislators on Thursday after the pair tried to advance a measure that would have reduced access to vasectomies.

While discussing a bill that would erode the availability of abortion, Reps. Barb Byrum and Lisa Brown introduced an amendment to apply the same regulations to vasectomies that GOP lawmakers wanted to add to abortion services. The debate grew heated, as Republicans sought to gravel down the women. Byrum was not permitted to speak in favor of the measure and Brown was repeatedly interrupted. “I’m flattered that you want to get in my vagina, but no means no,” she said. The next day both were silenced.

"There were two critical ingredients missing in the illustrious stories purporting to demonstrate the practical side of retreat. Not that retreat may not be possible mind you. What could possibly be missing from those factual tales of successful retreat in VT, Germany, and the bowels of Amsterdam? Why children and vagina's of course. While the tales relate the actions of a solitary male the outcome cannot relate to similar situations where children and women and mothers are the potential victims,"

North Carolina House Majority Leader Paul “Skip” Stam had some choice words Monday for the state’s superintendent of public instruction –- words that he would most likely reconsider if the schools chief were a man.

Stam's comment came after the superintendent, June Atkinson, expressed her belief to reporters that private schools and public schools in the state should take the same standardized tests. He said she should focus on her mandate of helping public schools, according to North Carolina outlet The News & Observer.

North Carolina House Majority Leader Paul “Skip” Stam had some choice words Monday for the state’s superintendent of public instruction –- words that he would most likely reconsider if the schools chief were a man.

Stam's comment came after the superintendent, June Atkinson, expressed her belief to reporters that private schools and public schools in the state should take the same standardized tests. He said she should focus on her mandate of helping public schools, according to North Carolina outlet The News & Observer.

“She should stick to her own knitting,” Stam said.

That's actually a common phrase in Nova Scotia meaning "mind your own business" or "you don't know crap about this topic". I've used to refer to both men and women.

The chairman of the Montgomery County PA Republican Committee has been arrested. He allegedly offered a ride to an employee at his law firm after a work party, offered her alcohol secretly laced with Ambien, and then raped her twice.